Something Worth Protecting
by Canada6008
Summary: Kagome has just moved to her new university and is making new friends when she gets attacked.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone! So besides one I attempted to make but never finished when I was younger, this is my first fanfiction! So bear with me through it if I make any mistakes or faux-pas. I have some great ideas for this story and I'm really excited to write it so here it goes!**

 **PS. I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters!**

 **Chapter 1**

'So the blue shirt is cute and friendly and would make me seem more approachable… but this red shirt just looks so sexy on me…' Never underestimate the importance of first impressions on your first day of school. I had learned this the hard way at previous schools and knew not to make this decision lightly. I have been to 7 different schools in my lifetime thanks to my parents' jobs forcing us to move every couple years or less. My parents were both wealthy business owners who had spent the last decade or so expanding their business across the globe, which caused them to need to move around a lot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying your outfit will determine if you will be liked and make friends at a new school, but you can't say it won't contribute to your first impression.

I finished putting on the blue shirt and finished getting ready. This time was different, I needed to play it safe. Before I would move all the time with my parents knowing that within two years I'd be leaving again, but this time I was here to stay. This time I wasn't with my parents. This time I was in university.

Last week I had moved into my apartment that was only a kilometer away from campus. Nothing big or special but it was exactly what I wanted. I hadn't met anyone in the area yet despite walking around my neighborhood many times with that exact intention. It's always nice to start at a new school with the advantage of already knowing someone there, but this time I seemed to have no luck. I made myself a coffee and headed out the door with my bag of books and supplies. This was it.

As I got closer and closer to my campus I could see more and more of my classmates. Okay first up is CHEM 101 in C300. Wait C300? Is that supposed to mean something to me? That doesn't sound like a building it sounds like a room number! How am I supposed to be able to find it with this little information! Uh oh. I started looking around for a directory or people giving out maps somewhere when I found a girl with 'volunteer' written across her shirt in big letters and I walked up to her.

"Hi could you please help me find my class?" I asked timidly. The girl had long black hair tied back into a high ponytail. She looked to be really in shape and yet still curvy. Some girls were just so lucky. Not that I could really complain I had a similar body to this girl's except a little less defined. I was toned but not muscular and had decent curves. I prided myself on staying in shape and made sure I went on runs every morning.

"Of course I can! My name is Sango, welcome to Shikon University! Could I please see your schedule?" I handed it over to her. "Hmm so you're a science major, all your classes will be close together in the science buildings! To get to your first class you just need to follow this path that you're on now and at the end the path will split and you'll see two buildings, yours is on the right and once you enter you'll see your lecture hall straight away!" She explained as she drew a path on one of the maps she help and highlighted my other classes as well.

"Thank you so much! Hey could I... um ask you a question?" I bit my lip trying not to let my nervousness show.

"That's what I'm here for!"

"You're a second year right…?" Sango nodded. "So what is it like here? Are the people all as friendly as you?" She looked at me in understanding.

"Don't worry you'll fit in great here! If you're nervous, I noticed we both have breaks from classes at 12! Why don't we meet back up here and you can join me and my friends for lunch!"

"Oh that's ok re-"

"Nonsense! They'll love you! Heck I already know we're going to get along great! Here's my number, just text me when you're out of class!" She held out the map she had been writing on earlier, now with her name and number written in the corner. I stood there stunned for a moment before I laughed nervously and grabbed the paper.

"Thank you Sango, I guess I'll see you later!" I waved my goodbye as I walked off in the direction she pointed me in. Wow. Well that was unexpected.

As I walked down the path I felt a powerful presence around me. I slowed but tried to act normally despite the hairs on the back of my neck sticking up. I should probably explain now… I'm a miko, and a strong one at that. So I am able to sense people's auras around me even if they are trying to conceal them. For most mikos, when youkai conceal their aura's that is enough for them to not be able to sense them, however I was stronger. I knew I couldn't show any signs that I could sense this power but it was just so dark. I had never felt anything like it. I swallowed as I looked around casually and locked eyes with a tall man with piercing eyes. He wasn't the only person around me but I only saw him because of his overwhelming aura. His long dark hair moved with the wind and his sharp red eyes shook me to the core.

Snap out of it! He'll figure out that you can sense him! No, I couldn't let that happen. I forcefully pulled my gaze away from his and kept walking, though I could still feel is eyes locked on mine.

Mikos and youkai live peacefully together now in the modern era, but like with every species, there's always the bad apples. I kept concealment spells on my powers and auras to avoid any unwanted attention. Normally youkai don't care about mikos, especially the powerful youkai, but when they're as strong as me it tends to put them a little on edge. Although we live peacefully now, their instincts still want to eliminate any threats. Just as mine do and get this on edge when I encounter such a powerful youkai, however this one was different. He wasn't on edge because of my power, no, it was something else. Something very dark within him that had nothing to do with me being there. That is why I feared him so much.

I arrived at my class and sat with my 300 other classmates as we listen to our professor go on with his introductions to the course and himself. That is how the rest of my classes went that day as well, not reaching the course material itself but rather its overview. When I started walking out of class I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Sango.

'Hey it's Kagome, the girl you met earlier :)'

My phone immediately buzzed again and I saw instructions on where to go to meet them for lunch. When I got there I looked around and saw Sango waving at me enthusiastically surrounded by a group of people.

"Hey Kagome! I'm so glad you came to join us! Here let me introduce you to everyone! Okay so this is Miroku…" she gestured towards the man sitting next to her. I could tell immediately that he had spiritual powers like myself. His eyes had a glint in them as he looked my way and smiled. He had medium length black hair that was just long enough to pull into a pony tail. His smile was a little too charming and made me think he may have been a bit of a player, but hey, looking around at the rest of the group they were all so attractive they must all be!

"… and Inuyasha…" She gestured towards the white haired hanyou who nodded at me. He had a rough edge to him that worked well for him. Long messy white hair and clothes to match his roughness. I could see through his concealment that he had little white ears on top of his head that were absolutely adorable! I stared at them until I noticed him giving me an annoyed look as I quickly drew my eyes away not wanting to further incriminate myself.

"… and his girlfriend Kikyo" she said and I could hear her disguised annoyance and she looked at Kikyo. Kikyo was beautiful. She had long silk straight black hair with bangs. I could tell she was a miko as well with strength almost as great as mine. She was skinny and yet had amazing curves… maybe it was surgery. Her eyes were as dark as her expression towards me. Apparently she didn't like newcomers, or maybe she just didn't like anybody besides the boy she had herself glued to.

"… and then there's Bankotsu..." she continued. Wow. This boy was amazing. Tanned skin, long black hair, and very muscular. (AN: yes I changed him a little bit sorry). When I looked over at him he winked at me causing me to blush a little bit. I could see a marking on his forehead through his concealment but after learning my lesson the hard way with Inuyasha, did not let me eyes linger on it at all.

"… and lastly is Sesshomaru." Finally my eyes moved over to the last figure. Before I even noticed his appearance I felt his aura. It was strong and screamed of his heritage. He was stronger than anyone I had ever encountered before. My body shuddered in fear as I tried to keep my calm near him. I could sense his link to Inuyasha but they must have been half-brothers considering its weakness. Sesshomaru looked like a god. His hair was long and white like Inuyasha's but much straighter and softer. His face was angular and strong showing no emotion but rather a mask of indifference. His golden eyes were cold as he looked me over and nodded his acknowledgement of my presence.

What an interesting group this was. A monk, miko, human, hanyou, youkai and daiyoukai all together. I brought my attention back to Sango as I smiled at her and said "Thank you" I looked back towards the rest of the group and said "Hi, it's nice to meet all of you, my name is Kagome." I bowed slightly towards them.

"Oh and we're missing Kouga, Ayame and Shippou but I'm sure you'll meet them at some point!" Sango mentioned.

Talking to them wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Once I got past my initial shyness, I found I really liked the group of them. Inuyasha was a little brash but seemed to have a great heart. Kikyo was just as cold as she initially seemed but I didn't see any malice behind it. Sango was just as enthusiastic as before and very upbeat, I knew we would get along well. Miroku was a huge flirt but I made sure to lay down my boundaries and Sango helped with enforcing them with a few hits to the back of the head when needed. Sesshomaru didn't really talk much or engage but soon it was just Sango, him and myself left at the table as others left for their various classes. Then Sango informed me she had to go to a class as well and asked if I wanted to hang out later. I said yes and got ready to leave myself, not wanting to stay too long at the table with Sesshomaru because Sango had already left.

"You need not fear me miko, I will not harm you." His voice was magical. It was the first time I had heard him speak, and his voice was deep yet soothing. I wonder if it was always that way. Wait a second. Did he just call me miko? How could he sense that I feared him? I froze and tried to think of how to react but all that could come out of my mouth was undecipherable.

"Although your spells are strong, my senses are superior. They would never work on someone like me." He explained.

"Well I've never encountered someone with your strength before, and they have never failed me in the past." I defended. "You are taiyoukai aren't you? It's strange I can't see through you're concealment but I can sense your power. You're impossible to read so excuse me for being fearful of you. I do not like being unable to sense people's intentions, it makes me suspicious of them." I was getting offended by his arrogance. But his mask momentarily dropped and showed his amusement to my reaction. He smirked at me! It was gone as fast as it appeared though.

"You are right. I am inu taiyoukai. However you have no reason to suspect me, if I wanted to harm you it would already be done. I will be going now. It was nice to meet you Kagome." And with that he was gone. I stood there collecting my thoughts. I decided to take him at his word. Why would someone with his strength bother lying to me about his intentions, he could do whatever he wanted either way. I put on my backpack and headed home.

What a day!

 **Authors Notes: Alright guys please let me know what you think! I'm really excited for this story and would love any constructive criticism you have!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Hey guys I'm glad you liked my story enough to read the second chapter! Again, I'm so excited to be writing this but really nervous about it too so please review and tell me how I'm doing! Your feedback means the world to me!**

 **I still don't own Inuyasha. Let's begin!**

Chapter 2

So by the end of the first week I had gotten into the rhythm of things a little bit better. I could now get to and from my classes without having to look at a map or ask directions. I found out that Inuyasha was in my biology and chemistry classes because apparently he took them last year and failed, and is now repeating them again. I had come up with my running routes for the morning every day. I was starting to feel like I was really settling in.

I was heading over to Sango's tonight to study together even though we weren't in the same courses. We got along together so well it was amazing! She mentioned that she was going to text the others and see if they wanted to join so I didn't know yet if we were going to be hanging out with anyone else yet. All I knew was that I really needed to get this assignment done before it was due tomorrow morning.

I was wearing some jeans and a simple t-shirt and had my hair tied back in a loose bun. I had put in the minimum hair and makeup effort for the day because I knew I would just be studying today. I picked out a light blue hoodie and put it on then stared at myself in the mirror. My pale blue eyes were slightly accented by my mascara and my lips were moisturized by my lip balm giving them a subtle shine. I had my usual one spray of perfume on that was sweet and floral.

I had been getting to know everyone slowly and it made me really happy. This was the easiest transition I had had to a school ever. Granted there were still some bumps along the way like getting lost a couple times, causing me to be late, and let's not forget that awful encounter with that terrifying youkai with red eyes! I had been unable to shake my fear of him and had even had a nightmare about his terrifying eyes this week. There was just something undeniably wrong about him and I couldn't quite place it.

A buzz from my phone drew my attention away from the mirror. I opened my phone and read the message from Sango.

'Hey girl! I just got home so come on over! The others are going to join us as well!'

'Ok be there soon!' I sent my response. Sango lived a few blocks away from me like most other students. The rest of the group was nearby as well some farther because they were on the other side of campus but all within about a kilometer radius of the school.

A cool breeze blew past me and made me think about how much walking home was going to suck when it would be dark and even colder.

I entered Sango's apartment building and when I reached her floor knocked on the door. Miroku opened the door and smiled at me.

"Hey Kags! Good to see you! Come on in."

"Thanks." I responded as I entered the living room to see the two white haired brothers sitting on the couches along with Sango and Shippo. I had met Shippo the day after I met the rest of the group but I had still yet to meet the other two Sango had mentioned named Ayame and Kouga. Shippo was shorter than the other guys, although Bankotsu and Sesshomaru were both extremely tall as it is. Miroku and Inuyasha were both similar heights and Shippo was the shortest of the guys only a bit taller than the girls. Shippo was a fox youkai and sure loved his jokes. He was a fun guy though a little childish. We got along great and even hung out a few times outside of the group. I wasn't interested in him nor was he in me, but we just got along so well.

"Hey guys! So we're actually going to study and get work done right?" I asked teasing my friends.

"Feh! It's barely worth anything for our grade! Certainly not worth my time anyways…" Inuyasha complained. He didn't seem too keen on keeping up with homework but I was keen on making him pass the two courses we had together this time. I dragged him over to the table with me and plopped down and started on the work while ignoring his protests. The others laughed and I even got a smile out of Sesshomaru as Inuyasha battled it out. Inuyasha was definitely losing and we were almost through with the exercises for homework. He really wasn't dumb and could keep up with all the concepts, making it clear to me that his biggest issue was doing the work. Well that just made it more likely I could make him pass this time!

"Oi wench, I'm going over to Kikyo's this is stupid. I'll see you tomorrow!" Inuyasha started getting up and kicked his chair away.

"Not a chance! Come back here and sit down!" I yelled as I tacked him into the couch with a huge grin on my face. The girls burst out laughing at my antics and Miroku seemed a little concerned for my safety. "We have one question left and we're solving it together! Come on you can do whatever you want when it's done!"

"Don't go making such vague promises to young gentlemen Kags or you'll find yourself in some sticky situations." Miroku teased pervetedly. WHAT? My face was instantly red and I shot up off of Inuyasha. "That's not what I meant! I meant he could go see Kikyo!" I tried to reason.

This only made everyone laugh harder at me.

"Keh whatever, I'll finish the stupid problem." Inuyasha walked over to the paper and glanced at the problem then instantly scribbled something onto the paper. "There! Done. Now I'm out of here!" With that Inuyasha was gone.

I shuffled back over to my spot and checked his answer. It was right! I copied it onto my homework and put both the papers into my backpack. I knew I would have to hand in Inuyasha's for him because he wouldn't be bothered to.

Once I got over the embarrassment from earlier we all just started talking about the most random of topics. Sesshomaru was pretty silent as usual but I kept catching him looking at me. How strange… I wonder if I had said anything wrong…

"Alright guys! I have early morning classes tomorrow and it's getting late! I'll see you all tomorrow, I'm going to walk home!" I announced and packed up my things.

"Did you want me to walk you home Kags?" Shippo asked.

"No don't worry about it! It's just a 5 minute walk from here I'll be fine!"

"Alright well then we'll see you tomorrow at our usual lunch spot! Good night Kagome!" Sango said cheerily.

I hugged and said goodbye to everyone individually and hesitated when it came time to say goodbye to Sesshomaru. I really didn't understand our relationship. Sango told me she noticed his difference in behaviour with me as well but you never really knew what that meant with Sesshomaru anyways. And it was so subtle sometimes I thought I was imagining it. He didn't do anything dramatic, just paid more attention to me. I went towards him slowly and hesitantly while making eye contact as if asking for permission to say goodbye to him the same way I did my other friends. He held my eyes as I approached him and nodded granting me permission. I stepped up on my tippy toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt his arms gracefully land around my waist and pull me in slightly. It was a normal hug, why was I overthinking it so much?

I started to pull away and looked at his eyes again. I smiled and said "Good night Sesshomaru, it was great to see you too."

I saw his eyes show a little happiness and heard him say "Good night Kagome. I will see you tomorrow. Be safe."

Instead of letting myself stay there to stare at him and overthink what was happening I just smiled again at him and the rest of the group, waved and left closing the door behind me.

As I left the building the cold breeze hit me again, but there was something different about it this time. Nope, I must still be overthinking things because of my encounter with Sesshomaru. I quickly glanced around to see that there was no one in sight. I knew I was just overthinking things. So I pulled up my hood on my hoodie, turned and started walking home. Only a block later I felt it. I felt that same chill down my spine and the hairs on my neck stick up. I didn't need to turn around or look up. I knew exactly what it is that I felt. I felt the dark and dangerous some pair of red eyes on me that I did my first day of school.

It was him again.

 **Author's Notes: Ooo cliff-hanger! I'll try to write again soon but it might be a few days before I can get another chapter up. But again please review! Thank you so much to saiya, mona and rose for being my first reviewers! See you guys soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 **Author's Notes: So looks like I did find time today to write another chapter! Yay! But I'm sure you just want me to get straight into it so here it is!**

 **Chapter 3**

It was him again. I froze, my mind unable to process how to react. I was alone on a dark street with him. My instincts were urging me to fight immediately but I fought them back still unable to move.

"Cold night isn't it?" his voice called. It was just as I imagined, deep and coarse. I cleared my head knowing I couldn't just stand there forever. I made my feet move and kept walking forward towards my home without looking back. I could play it off like I didn't hear him right? No need to engage in conversation at all! Wrong. I forgot that I had suddenly went from not walking, to frozen, to walking again. Of course he knew I had heard him! Well better follow through with my choice anyways. Maybe I could get home or run into other people. I was only three blocks away from my house.

"Well aren't you being rude my little darling?" His voice was right next to my ear. I whirled around to face him while jumping back to make distance between us. He must have used his youkai abilities, there's no way he could have caught up to me so quickly. A deep chuckle resonated in the air. I finally looked up to his face, only to confirm what my powers had already told me. It was the same red eyed man.

"I'm trying to go home. It is late and dark, so please leave me be." I put my best effort into making it sound forceful. Like I could back up my words. My powers came to the surface and brushed against me as a reminder that they were still there.

"I just wanted to get to know you. My name is Naraku, now tell me yours." His tone had an edge of seduction in it. Did he really think that would work on me? For heaven's sake I'm a miko! He should know perfectly well that my instincts are telling me 'FIGHT OR FLIGHT'! Like a little change in tone would have any impact on how I was feeling!

I steadied my voice and repeated myself, "I'm trying to go home. It is late and dark, so please leave me be." This time it came out with more force. I would not let some dark person like him scare me. I was powerful too and wasn't going to let my fears control me anymore.

"Tell me your name girl. This is the last time I will ask you politely." His voice told he was getting angered with me. I needed to get out of here and fast. I drew my powers forward and let them pulse out over the immediate area. It was a warning. As I saw him flinch from the pulse of my power I turned on my heel and continued walking. I would not let him think he could control me.

That's when the first strike hit me. A tentacle had hit my legs knocking me to the floor. I rolled quickly and formed a bow and arrow pointing straight at his heart. Tentacles had sprouted out of his body. His face was now contorted in a menacing grin as he laughed at me.

"You think you're little bow can stop me? You will learn the hard way Kagome that I get what I want. I have been watching you since I first laid my eyes on you. You are quite the fascinating little creature. How easily you find happiness and light in your life. See I think it would be quite the show to take that light away from you, and see what you become. You are powerless girl, nothing compared to me."

I let go of the arrow and sent it flying towards him. Get out now. My powers were wavering. Why? I had better control than this what was going on?

Another tentacle hit me, this time piercing my abdomen on the left side just above my hip. I screamed out in pain. I had never felt such an intense pain before, it hurt so badly. And yet I couldn't focus on the pain. All I could focus on was getting away from him. Another tentacle came towards me and I dodged the brunt of it but still was smacked in the face knocking me to the floor. Before I had time to react I was pinned by another tentacle to the wall. The bleeding was getting intense

My powers, I needed my powers. I called as much as I could get control of forward and tried to form a barrier around myself but his powers were pressing against mine and I was losing the battle quickly. I was helpless against him. I had no control. He was right. I could do nothing. I wasn't strong enough. I felt myself giving up and lost any link I had left before to my powers. I couldn't feel them inside of me anymore. I couldn't feel anything inside of me anymore, it was just empty.

I could hear Naraku's booming laughter as he looked at my pathetic display. He knew he had won.

"Remember this feeling little one. Remember exactly where you stand on the earth now. All that matters is that you are below me."

As I started to lose consciousness I heard yells in the background. Was someone there? It didn't matter, my world went black and I passed out.

I woke up to white everything. White walls, white ceiling, white sheets…

I was in the hospital. I looked around my empty room and saw a nurse outside notice I was awake. She ran off and came back shortly with a doctor.

"Good morning sweetie! How are you feeling? Be careful not to move too much and rip you're stitches. Try and just stay still for a while." Stiches? What? Ow! Oh right… those stiches, from the tentacle that pierced my stomach. I winced in pain as the doctor came over to check that the stitches were still intact.

She laughed, "They never believe you until they find out for themselves… Well you're lucky you didn't rip them. They've had a couple days to set so you should be almost healed in just over a week. You seem to be very lucky little one." She said to me with a kind smile on her face. "Had it been much longer you might not have made it due to blood loss, but you are ok now. Thank goodness that girl found you and called the police. You have some bruises that will be tender for a few days and the stiches but no damage to any organs. You will need to stay in bed for a few more days and have you're bandages cleaned twice a day. You put up quite the fight…" She ended sadly.

After a moment of silence the nurse came over to my bed and stood next to my doctor.

"Hi my name is Deborah, I'm going to need to ask you some questions now starting with your name." I nodded my head. I answered all her questions about my personal information but when she starting asking about how I acquired my injuries I couldn't answer her. I just started crying and couldn't speak. The nurse told me she would give me some time to rest and continue with the questions later but I wasn't going to wait for that to happen. I swung my legs over the bed and slowly tried to stand up. I grabbed my clothes at the end of the bed. Gasping in pain I tried to relax my abdomen to continue moving and walk out of the hospital.

Although it took me longer than normal, I made it home and fell into my own bed. Sleep. I just wanted to sleep and not think about what happened. First I tried to make a connection to my powers. At first I couldn't feel it, but then I grasped at a small piece of it, satisfied that I had at least found some no matter how small. Yes, that would be enough for today.

I woke up with a scream and panting heavily. A dream… Naraku wasn't here. But my stiches quickly reminded me that it wasn't all a bad dream as I winced once again in pain. I checked my phone to see that it was 8:27am. I only wanted to see the time but I also got to see a bunch of missed calls from my friends and the date. I had hung out with them on Sunday, the night I was attacked. It was now Wednesday and I had 12 missed calls from Sango, 3 from Shippo, 3 from Miroku, 1 from Inuyasha and 1 from and unknown number along with voicemails and text messages. I felt guilt for not telling them where I had been last night when I had the chance. They were all so worried. But I didn't want to tell them what had happened to me either. I wasn't ready to yet. As stupid as it sounded, telling them would make it real, and I didn't want it to be real. You would think the injuries would be enough of a reality check and yet it wasn't. No, I wouldn't tell them. That just left me with the challenge of explaining where I had been. After thinking it over I started writing my first text to Sango.

'Hey Sango, I'm sorry I made you worry so much, I just got a really bad case of the flu so I took the train over to my aunt's and am staying with her for a few more days. I'll be back in school on Monday though! Again, sorry I made you worry.'

I sent similar texts to Shippo, Miroku and Inuyasha and then saw that I had a text from an unknown number. I opened it and read it.

'Kagome, message me when you see this. –Sesshomaru'

Sesshomaru messaged me? I saved his number in my phone and quickly typed up my response.

'Hi Sesshomaru, sorry I wasn't responding, I took a train to go see my aunt because I got a bad case of the flu.'

Well I guess he was worried too, which is sweet. It almost made me smile. But with everything that had happened I wasn't sure I was ready to smile yet.

After watching Netflix for a little while I heard a stern knock on my door and so paused my show. Who could possibly be at my door? I told all my friends I was away… No. I stayed in my spot on the couch and tried to make as little noise as possible.

"Kagome let me in, I can smell that you're in there." The voice made me melt. I was wrong, it wasn't Naraku. Quite the opposite actually, it was Sesshomaru. How did he know I was home never mind where I lived? Would he be mad at me for lying? I got up and went to answer the door. Well I guess either way I had to face him. Here goes nothing. I peeked through the hole to double check it was him, I really didn't want to take any chances, and upon seeing Sesshomaru I opened the door.

"You are not at your aunt's. Why did you lie to me?" He was angry. I cowered away from him with an involuntary look of fear on my face. The last time someone was angry with me didn't work out too well for me to say the least. I was still fearful of people, especially powerful youka, which Sesshomaru happens to be. His expression turned to one of shock upon seeing my reaction. Due to his confusion he turned to his nose to figure out why I was reacting that way.

"Blood. You're injured, let me see." I flinched away from him again. This caused Sesshomaru to pause. He wasn't exactly skilled at being gentle with people. He lightened his expression to one of concern in an attempt to communicate that he wasn't going to harm me. He reached out to me to put a hand on my shoulder while saying "I won't harm you Ka-" as his hand touched me I threw my body away from him. I ended up throwing myself straight into the wall behind me and winced in pain from my injuries being jostled. I knew Sesshomaru wasn't trying to harm me but I wasn't acting rationally. I was still scared from being attacked. I felt powerless, I didn't want to be near anyone. This was exactly why I told them I wasn't home!

I felt bad for my reactions. Sesshomaru didn't deserve the treatment I was giving him. I looked up at him with a pained expression. I wanted to explain, I really did, but I couldn't.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru…" was all that I could make out in a mumbled voice.

He took a few steps back not wanting to risk another freak out from me. "Kagome. Listen to me. I will not harm you. I will never harm you, you have become pack."

"Pack?" What did that mean? We weren't family… we were friends at best but I didn't even know if he considered me that. At least his words brought me out of my irrational behaviour.

"Yes, pack. You are like a sister to Inuyasha and to the rest of the group. I am alpha and as such I would never harm you. Now please tell me what happened." His voice was firm. He wasn't exactly willing to negotiate but I could be stubborn too.

"I fell." was my response. I heard a low growl in response. I looked up at him shocked and he kept his expression blank. Fine, be that way.

"I was… impaled… but it's just some stiches, the doctors said I would be fine in a week." I tried to limit the amount of information I gave him.

"Stop speaking in half-truths Kagome. I grow tired of this game."

"Well I don't want to talk about it." Another growl.

"Someone did this to you."

"No." A louder growl was heard.

"Who." It wasn't a request, it was a demand. He was forcing me to talk about something I didn't want to. After silence from my end he sighed in a frustrated manner and walked up to me. As he got closer I become more and more scared until he bent down and put his face an inch away from my neck and sniffed. My heart was racing and my vision became dizzy as I began freaking out. I didn't want anyone so close to me.

"I know his scent." He pulled away. "Naraku." Upon hearing him speak his name and finally being a fair distance from him, my legs gave out. I braced for impact expecting to collapse on my knees only to be caught by Sesshomaru, picked up, and remarkably delicately placed on my couch. This all happened in the blink of an eye. He sat himself next to me keeping a couch between us.

"He will not hurt you again." He stated it like it was a fact. He wasn't there. I was defenseless! I might as well have not had any powers at all!

"He's too strong…" I mumbled hopelessly. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to hear what I had said but I knew he could.

"Look at me Kagome." This time it was a request. His voice was gentle so I complied and looked into his eyes. I had never seen anything like them before, they were amazing. The way he was looking at me made me feel connected to him, like he was showing me his true self behind his mask. Suddenly I became aware of his aura. He had been concealing it before but slowly started letting it expand to its full form. He was incredible. I would normally be in pain from this much overwhelming youkai energy around me but it did not hurt. No his powers brushed against me in reassurance yet displaying his full capabilities. I had never witnessed anything so amazing. My eyes were wide in astonishment.

"He is not stronger than me, and I will not let harm come to you again. You are pack, I have failed you once and it will not happen again." He was so confident in his words I couldn't help believe him. I felt safe. If Sesshomaru was there with me, no one could harm me.

"Thank you Sesshomaru." I cried with relief. I lunged across the couch and hugged him, wrapping may arms around his big chest. He was stiff at first but then responded by wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other holding my head closer to him. I breathed in his scent as it comforted me. I felt myself relaxing and releasing a bunch of pent of fear from within me. I felt so light and started to fall asleep without even realising it. No nightmare tonight. No, for now, with him here, I was safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I woke up on my couch with a blanket on me. Looking around the room I couldn't see anyone there. I flared my aura to see if anyone was in the apartment only to find Sesshomaru's in my room. 'What was he doing there?' I thought to myself. Although that didn't really last long because as soon as he felt my aura he was in front of me.

"You stayed the night?" I asked him surprised.

"You were scared."

"Thank you Sesshomaru… Can I ask you to do me another favour?" He stared at me waiting for me to continue. Well I guess it wasn't a no. "Please don't tell the others that I am not at my aunt's. I will go back to school on Monday once my stitches have healed enough."

He thought over my request and then responded, "Shippo and Inuyasha will know that you are lying from your scent."

"I won't lie, just not tell the whole truth."

"It will not erase what has happened. Naraku will still need to be dealt with." I could swear that I could see some red in his eyes but it was very faint.

"Fine, but not now. I just want to rest until Monday, catch up on some homework that I've missed and be alone." I was trying to negotiate with him. Delay dealing with my circumstances for as long as possible.

"You are not fit to be alone."

"I will be fine Sesshomaru."

"Hn" was the only response I got.

"Please." I begged. I didn't want to face everyone yet. 'Let me come to terms with it on my own before I have to deal with everyone else.' I added unvoiced.

"Fine. But you will call me if anything happens or you need help." He resigned. I could agree to those conditions… or at least tell him I would.

"Agreed. Thank you Sesshomaru, I don't mean to be such a burden. I really appreciate everything you did for me." I thanked him full heartedly. Although I didn't fully understand his motives, his actions and words were exactly what I needed to hear and I couldn't thank him enough for it.

"You are pack." He stated as if that explained everything. With that he turned around and grabbed his coat and put it on. He nodded to me as a goodbye and closed the door behind him.

What the hell had just happened? Sesshomaru stayed over at my apartment? If I hadn't witnessed it myself I never would have believed it.

The next few days went by much faster than you would think. I had emailed my teachers and managed to get all my homework done and caught up on the material. I had survived off of mostly canned soup and pizza that I ordered because I was too afraid to leave my apartment and didn't have much food here. As the days continued and Monday drew closer I started reconsidering my plan to go back to school. Sure my injuries felt way better, in fact they were nearly non-existent thanks to my miko powers that I now had a much better connection to. However I still didn't want to go to school because that meant walking there and back alone. It also meant I would have to get a better poker face to pull off my made up illness with my friends and I wasn't quite sure I was ready for either.

Monday morning was here all too quickly. I managed to talk myself into getting out of bed. My morning routine felt like I was just going through the motions but not actually there. Sure, getting ready was easy enough, it was walking out the door that was the hard part. No, I needed to do this, I had made my friends wait too long for me. They were worried and if I didn't go today, that would just make things worse and my story less believable. Today was the day, the time was now, and I needed to get my feet out the door.

Okay step one, open the door, check! This wasn't so bad, it was like I was answering the door for pizza! Pizza was good, this was good. Okay now leave the apartment building.

The pit of my stomach was killing me when I stepped out onto the street after successfully making it to the elevator and through the lobby. It was broad daylight and there were people all around me, I could do this. Okay just keep walking and I'll be there before I know it! I thought about listening to my music to distract me, but decided against it because I'd rather be able to hear what was going on around me.

I finally reached campus and was getting near my class when a voice tore me away from my internal celebration and accomplishing this feat.

"Hey there beautiful, where are you heading?" I looked at the man talking to me. He was a tall youkai with his long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. His looks were rugged yet charming like Inuyasha. Two weeks ago I might have entertained the idea of getting to know this guy because he was pretty hot but today I just wanted to be invisible.

"I have class right now." I tried not to sound harsh but not inviting either.

"Mind if walk you there?" He asked with a charming grin. He didn't seem to want to take no for an answer.

"Look I'm sorry, I having a rough day, I'd really like to be left alone." I tried to reason with him.

"No problem beautiful, I'm sure we can talk about it some other time over dinner!" He quickly winked at me and ran off before I could protest. Well not much I could do now besides walk to class. I ended up getting there on time and sat with Inuyasha. He came late like usual so it saved me from having to talk to him yet. As we walked out of class towards the usual lunch spot I thought I felt Naraku dark presence. Inuyasha saw me tense up and looked around to try to see what had caused it. Meanwhile I watched his reaction and when he found nothing I decided that I had been imagining it.

"What was that about?" He asked and I did my best attempt at coming up with a plausible answer on the spot.

"Oh I.. um… I just thought I had forgotten my phone at my aunt's house but its here..." I laughed nervously and pulled my phone out of my pocket shaking it in front of him as evidence. "… in my pocket. False alarm!" I laughed nervously some more. He gave me an unconvinced look but then just snorted.

"Feh, whatever, women are so weird."

"Yup! That's me! Weird woman over here!" Ok I needed to shut up now. He decided to just shake it off and we started talking about what he did last weekend. Once again though, this time it was slightly stronger so I knew it was real, I felt Naraku's presence. No, he can't be here! I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to get hurt again! My internal panic started to escalate until a firm hand of my shoulder startled me out of my spiralling thoughts. I jumped from the startle and looked up immediately to see Sesshomaru there with his eyes glued onto mine. Once he seemed satisfied that I was back in reality he searched the area and found reminiscent traces of Naraku's aura, only to find that he was no longer there. Once I realised this as well I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Oh hey there Sesshomaru! I didn't see you there! You startled me!" My voice shacked a little. I was trying to play off my fear as being caused by Sesshomaru startling me. Understanding immediately he drew his hand away from my shoulder and walked to our table with a "Hn".

"Kagome my dearest we've missed you!" Miroku called out from the table.

"Kagome!" Sango yelled as she launched herself at me. I caught her flying hug and held her tightly. I really had missed her.

"Oh it's so good to see you guys!" I said happily.

"Kagome you need to come out with us tonight! We were going to go out and see this new movie that Inuyasha won't shut up about." Shippo pleaded.

"On a Monday night?" I asked surprised.

"Yah it will be tons of fun! We won't stay out too late anyways, it's just a movie!"

"Well ok I guess" I responded. We managed to go the whole lunch without anyone asking about my imaginary illness. They were all just excited to see me again. Sango walked me home because it was almost on the way for her and she wanted to gossip about a date she went on with Miroku last weekend. Apparently Kikyo wasn't the best listener and she had been deprived of girl time. I was just thankful that I didn't have to walk home alone. We had agreed that I would walk over to her house and meet up with the boys from there for the movies.

I was putting some makeup on and saw a text from Sango telling me to hurry up and get over there. Once I put on my coat I made my way out the apartment and stopped dead in my tracks when I got outside the building. It was dark and cold outside like the night of the attack had been. There was also no one in sight. I turned back around and ran straight back in and hurriedly pressed the button to call the elevator. Once on my floor I ran to my apartment and slammed the door behind me and swiftly locking it.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't walk out there. I was too scared. My memories started to overwhelm me and I heard my sobs echoing in my apartment. I curled up into a ball and pulled out my phone.

'Sorry Sango, I just have way more homework to catch up on then I thought, I'm not going to be able to make it out tonight, have fun without me' I added a smiley face at the end to make my lies sound more believable as I continued sobbing loudly. I slowly crawled my way over to my bed and pulled my blankets off the bed and proceeded to curl up into a ball again without getting onto the bed. I sat there crying for who know how long until I eventually fell asleep.

When my alarm clock woke me up I washed my face of the dry tears and continued getting ready. School in the daylight I could manage. Even after my episode last night I knew I could make it to school. The streets would be bright from daylight, filled with other students and warm from the sun. I put a little extra effort into my makeup to hide the left over puffiness of my face. It was darker makeup than I usually wore so I changed my outfit into the red shirt I was considering wearing on my first day of school to balance it out. I was exposing myself more despite how insecure I felt. I know it sounds counterproductive but I found when I wore more makeup people saw me less and more the mask I put on. So as weird as it sounds it was what I wanted today. I put on a black coat overtop and headed off to school.

My classes went by quickly enough even though today wasn't my classes with Inuyasha. When I got out I started walking towards the lunch spot only to be joined on my path by the brown haired man from yesterday. He had a huge grin plastered on his face as he took in the way I was dressed and how it displayed my body.

"I knew I was right to call you my woman from the second I saw you. Damn you are looking fine!" He let out a loud howl. Oh goodness.

"Since when am I your woman? I never agreed to this!" I huffed as we got closer to the usual lunch table.

"Since the moment I laid eyes on you beautiful! You just have to be mine! I won't stop trying until you agree!" A growl was heard as he said that. I spun and saw Sesshomaru behind me and the others at the table with him. I doubt the others noticed but I saw that same sprinkle of red in his usually pure golden orbs.

"Back off Kagome wolf breath! She would never be interested in someone like you" Inuyasha barked out. Kikyo sat with a look of indifference on her face, while Shippo and Miroku shared a similar expression of shock and confusion. Meanwhile Sango was still staring at Sesshomaru with her eyebrows raised, now wondering if anyone else had noticed the minor outburst from the usually silent Sesshomaru. Since when did he care about what the others did?

"How do you know her? You already have Kikyo you can't have her too mutt face!" the brown haired boy exclaimed.

"Hey! You can't just dibs me I have a say in the matter!" I protested angrily.

"Kouga it would be wise to ease off of Kagome, she doesn't respond well to you're kind of flirting." Miroku advised.

"What! You know him? THIS is the Kouga you guys have been talking about?" I yelled.

"The one and only." He winked back at me. Oh brother. This meant I was going to be seeing a lot more of him. "So how about that dinner we agreed to? Tonight? I'll pick you up at 7." He continued.

"I never agreed to that! You ran off before I could say no!" I protested.

A booming deep voice interrupted our fight before Kouga could retort. "She is not yours nor will she ever be. If you continue to bother her I will intervene myself." Sesshomaru said with a strong tone saying he was true to his words. Everyone now stared at Sesshomaru in silence. That was unexpected. Inuyasha was the first to speak up.

"What's it to you icicle prince? Why do you care what Kagome does?" Inuyasha voiced what the others were thinking minus the nickname.

"That is none of your concern." He responded indifferently and got up and left the table. The rest of us were left sitting wondering what had happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Yesterday's events had left me thinking about Sesshomaru quite a bit. I was trying to figure out what our relationship was. At first I was just shocked someone as handsome and powerful as him would even give me the time of day, but he did more than that. He looked out for me and took care of me when I needed it. I knew he was my friend but was there anything more to it? My gut told me there was but I really couldn't figure it out and form it into coherent rational thoughts.

I was walking out of my last class of the day with Inuyasha towards our lunch spot. I had become a sort of ritual of ours to sit in the same positions on either sides of the table. On one side was Kikyo, Inuyasha, Kouga, Bankotsu and Sesshomaru and then on the other was myself across from Sesshomaru, Sango, Miroku and Shippo. Although Bankotsu was always a wild card as to whether or not he showed up, yet I felt like every group of friends always had that one person.

It was Friday and we were all wanting to go out tonight but were just discussing where.

"Come on! I don't want to go to some stupid club, let's go to the bar near my place!" Inuyasha complained.

"I told you already Inuyasha, we want to dance tonight and you can't there." Sango explained frustrated.

"That's the whole point! I hate dancing!" He countered.

"You're not going to win this battle Inuyasha. The girls are pretty adamant on dancing tonight and I myself wouldn't mind either." Miroku spoke up.

"I heard the club near the movie theatre is really good! I think its name was the district? Anyways it's only really people from our university that goes and the music is good!" I was really trying to push for this club. I saw it often but never actually went in so I really wanted to go.

"Then it's settled! We're going to the district!" Sango declared, and we eventually got everyone on board with us too. Sango and I were going to get ready together at her place. Miroku was going to pick us up in his car with Shippo and Kouga. Inuyasha was going to take Kikyo and Bankotsu. Sesshomaru had decided to go on his own because he didn't want to be driven or let anyone in his car.

I had decided on a white dress with long lace sleeves with heels and Sango was wearing a tight dark red dress with a high neckline. After watching many tutorials I had perfected my makeup and went with a nice smokey eye look that accentuated my blue eyes without looking over the top. Sango had dark eyeliner and eyeshadow with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and I would have to say that we both looked pretty hot! Our curves being displayed nicely by our dresses without looking too slutty. My hair flowed loosely against me in soft curls. We had been drinking a little bit together before Miroku showed up and as a result we're slightly tipsy when they arrived.

"I am honoured to be driving such beautiful ladies tonight!" Miroku exclaimed when he saw us from his car.

"Hey beautiful, why don't you sit with me for the trip there. You look like an angel sent just for me!" Kouga flirted. Shippo was just embarrassed by the boys but confirmed their opinions in a more toned down way. I had a feeling Kouga was going to be like this all night. When we arrived we quickly found the others and bought a round of shots to start the night off. I started dancing with Sango on the dancefloor but was quickly interrupted by Kouga asking to dance with me. It was harmless and fun at first but then the more drinks he had the more touchy he got with me and kept trying to hold onto me pulling me against his body. Deciding I had had enough. I looked around for my friends to see if there was anyone nearby to save me. I immediately saw Sango and Miroku hooking up and couldn't wait to tease her about it later. Next I saw Sesshomaru by the bar sipping on a drink trying to ignore some girls that were talking to him. Once I established eye contact I sent him a silent plead to come and step in. I think I saw him smirk at me struggling with Kouga and stalked his way to me through the crowd like I was prey he was ready to catch. The look in his eyes was intense and the club around me started to disappear leaving only him and I there in the room.

He must have gotten rid of Kouga somehow but I paid no notice to it. I was capture by his eyes as we started to dance together. It was enchanting. His tall godlike body moved against mine making me ache for more contact with him but nothing was enough. He spun me around so my back was against his chest and I pulled my hand through my hair as he let out a low growl next to my neck. I had no idea if it was the alcohol or just the effect of being near Sesshomaru but I was definitely out of my head.

A blonde fox youkai decided she wanted a turn with Sesshomaru and rudely cut her way in between us. Something about watching them dance together made me very uncomfortable and I almost wanted to say it was jealousy. But that was ridiculous, I didn't like Sesshomaru! It would be a waste of my time anyways, he would never return the feelings. Yet dancing with him still had me worked up, and my body missed feeling his. I wanted to be against him again but walked outside instead for some fresh air to clear my thoughts.

Once outside I realised I just wanted to be home and not go back inside and watch girls throw themselves at Sesshomaru. Although he didn't seem to show interest in any of them I still would rather not see the whole thing happening.

A silver bmw pulled up next to me while I was walking down the street and the window rolled down.

"Get it." It was Sesshomaru.

"You've been drinking. Why are you driving?" I questioned.

"Silly miko, I am a demon, I metabolise the alcohol much faster than you would. It is already gone from my system. Now get in the car."

"Fine." I opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. I couldn't control how much more comfortable I felt with him with me. He drove me to my house and opened the door for me. Once in my apartment, he made sure I got into my bed with my pajamas on. I must have given him the impression that I was too intoxicated to take care of myself tonight, but I didn't mind, I was just happy to have the company.

Once satisfied that I was in my bed he began to turn to leave but something made me reach out and grab his hand. I didn't know what took over me but I just didn't want to be alone.

"Please… please stay with me tonight." I knew what it must have sounded like I meant but it was not my intention. I just felt so safe with him there with me and with the amount of alcohol in my system I didn't trust my capabilities to keep myself safe should anything happen. I knew he could read my aura and see that I did not have any bad intentions or hidden agenda but see that I was just lonely. He signalled for me to scoot over and sat in my bed next to me. I immediately curled up into him and fell asleep happily. Whatever my relationship was with Sesshomaru, I was very grateful to have it.


End file.
